Dental mirrors are utilized to permit a dentist to view obscure work areas within the mouth of a patient with minimum discomfort to the patient.
During dental procedures, e.g., drilling, scaling, and the like, particulate and/or fluid materials are often deposited upon the reflective surface of the mirror thereby interfering with the view of the work area. This interference can result in an improper performance of the procedure which can be harmful to the patient.
Dental mirrors are currently cleared of the materials by removing the mirror from the patient's mouth and wiping or rinsing the mirror. Requiring the removal of the mirror from the mouth is undesirable because a dentist must stop working, lose sight of the work area and relocate the work area before continuing to work, all of which increase the time required to treat the patient and thereby increase the length of time the patient suffers.
A powerful, distant light source positioned behind the dentist is often utilized to provide adequate lighting to the work area. The dentist must maneuver to prevent the shadow from being cast upon the work area. Also, the light undesirably shines into the eyes of the patient.
Materials that accumulate in the mouth during dental procedures are often removed by spitting them out or sectioning them off. Spitting out of the materials interrupts the work. Sectioning off the materials requires the placement of a dedicated tube in the mouth which can already be crowded with other dental instruments.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a dental mirror system that would improve the view of the work area by clearing materials from the reflective surface of the mirror without requiring the mirror be removed from the patient's mouth and possibly also provide a local light source and/or fluid removal capability.